US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he would not supply offensive weapons that Israel could use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah - considered as the last Hamas bastion in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli government.
Concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there, Biden, in an interview with CNN, said the US was still committed to Israel's defense and would supply Iron Dome rocket interceptors and other defensive arms, but that if Israel goes into Rafah, “we're not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells used.”
About Rafah, The Last Hamas Stronghold
Israel has maintained that victory in the Gaza war, which was launched by Netanyahu after Hamas’s October 7 seige and kidnapping spree on October 7, is impossible without taking Rafah.
Rafah at present is home to a million Palestinians who fled Israeli offensive through the rest of Gaza. They say the prospect of fleeing yet again is terrifying.
Egypt, which Rafah abuts, had "warned" Israel against pushing into the city. Egypt’s State Information Service said such a move “would lead to massive human massacres, losses [and] widespread destruction”.
US's Military Aid To Israel
United State's military aid to Israel has been enormous and has only accelerated in the aftermath of Hamas' October 7 attack that killed some 1,200 in Israel and led to about 250 being taken captive by militants.
Biden's comments and his decision last week to pause a shipment of heavy bombs to Israel are the most striking manifestations of the growing daylight between his administration and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, according to an Associated Press report.
'Red Line Not Crossed Yet': What Biden Said
Noting that Israel's actions around Rafah had “not yet” crossed his red lines, Biden repeated on Wednesday that Israel needs to do far more to protect the lives of civilians in Gaza.
The shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and 1,700 500-pound (225-kilogram) bombs, according to a senior US administration official who spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. The focus of US concern was the larger explosives and how they could be used in a dense urban area, the report mentioned.
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers," Biden told CNN.
“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven't gone in Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem.”
“We're not walking away from Israel's security," Biden said, adding: “We're walking away from Israel's ability to wage war in those areas.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier Wednesday confirmed the weapons delay, telling the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense that the US paused “one shipment of high payload munitions.”
“We're going to continue to do what's necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself,” Austin said. “But that said, we are currently reviewing some near-term security assistance shipments in the context of unfolding events in Rafah.”
